Operator for counterbalanced windows



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Original Filed June 22, 1933 Nov. 3, 1936. H. E. CAMPBELL OPEBATOR FOR COUNTERBALNCED WINDOWS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Originalfiled June 22, 19335 INVENTOP HarryE. 6am/@bell .BY

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Patented Nov. 3, 1936 @ATENT @FFMCE OPERATOR FOR COUNTERBALANCED WINDOWS Harry E. Campbell, Baltimore, Md., assigner to Campbell Metal Window Corporation, Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland Application June'ZZ, 1933, Serial No. 677,015 `ltenewed April 11,' 1936 Claims. (Cl. 268-130) This application relates to a window construction in which the sashes are mounted to slide up and down and are mounted with one sash used to counterbalance the other. Ordinarily, in such 5 counterbalanced sash constructions it necessarily follows that when one sash is moved, the other sash likewise is moved, so that it is not possible to have only one sash open at a time. Further, it is `diiiicult to get the connecting chain adjusted with exact accuracy, so that both sashes will shut tight but have no slack, and even if such adjustment is once made, there is a tendency of the chain to stretch, spoiling such adjustment. According to my invention, the two sashes can be moved simultaneously in opposite direction as in the ordinary counterbalanced sash, or each sash can be moved separately, and no problem arises in regard to the exactlength of the connectingv chain. Broadly speaking, this result is Vaccomplished by` interconnecting the two sashes but providing means whereby the positions of the pulley wheels `oveiar which the connecting chains pass may be adjusted up or down. According to the present invention, such vertical adjust- 2 ment of the pulley wheels is accomplished by suspending each such pulley wheelfrom a chain and then having each of these chains pass over a sprocket wheel with the two sprocket wheels interconnected and operated through a worm gear .o cutV at such anoangle that it will not be self- Y reversing. Some counterbalancing means may n be; attached to the free end of each of these chains which may be a spring of substantial strength, or I may use a weight which may be only heavy enough to insure adequate contact of the chain with its sprocket wheel.

When the pulley wheels are thus made adjustable it follows that if the window is closed and both pulley wheels are raised, the lower sash will rise.

In the same way if the window is closed and both pulley wheels are lowered, the upper sash will drop. In order that the reverse movements may be readily accomplished I have found it desirable to have the lower sash substantially heavier In such case if the lower sash has been raised and then the pulley wheels are lowered, the added weight of the lower sash will cause thispto drop without the upper sash moving. In'thev same way, if the upper sash has ,50 been lowered andthe pulley wheels are raised,

the` upper sash will be raised while the extra weight of the lower sash will hold it in place. The difference in weight between the two sashes must notvbe so great as to produce automatic move- 55 ment when both sashes are left open,v It is desirable that the worms be irreversible so that the pulleys will remain in the position to which they are brought by the worms without the use of special looking means.

Ordinarily theruse of movable pulleys would be ugly and cumbersome, but I have found that by applying this invention to windows of the type having side plates which extend into the jambs, it is possible to conceal the movable puileys within the jambs and at the same time have l() direct suspension to the sashes. o

In windows of this type the plates of each sash go into separate compartments or pockets and it is essential that leakage from one of these pockets to the other be keptto a minimum toAi5 prevent cold air from entering below the upper and outer sash and then passingthrough to the inner pocket and into the room above the lower sash. In order to provide for the movable pulley,

the baile or member which separates these twqgo pockets must be cut away for a part of its height; The danger of leakage resulting from this can be overcomeif desired by supplying an inside housing in which the pulley wheel moves, but I have found that this ordinarily is not necessaryv25 and that satisfactory results can be obtained byV afxing felt blocks near the bottom edge of the upper sash which prevents vertical movement of the cold air, as is more fully explained in my Patent No. 1,666,043, issued April 10, 1928. ,o 30

, My Vinvention can readily be understood by ref*-4 erence to the annexed drawings showing an i1- lustrative example thereof in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a window embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a iront elevation with parts 35 broken away; Fig. 3 is .a vertical section through one jamb; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section with one sash raised and the other lowered to open position, and Fig. 5 is a detail on line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

In the illustrative example shown in the draw- 40 ings, the sill construction is made up of three" members. Numeral l0 represents the sill proper to which is attached the inner plate or stool l2 and between which is positioned the flexible weatherstrip member Ill. Each jamb is built arounda hook-shaped member it having a perl" tion I8 forming a part of the inner jamb wall. The bafe plate or middle portion of the inner jambwall is designated by the numeral 2U, and has Vtwo legs 22 extending back to member I6,. 50 The legs 22 are out off at the upper part of the" window to provide space for movement of the chain pulley. The remainder of the inner jamb wall is provided by the member 24 which is attached to memberv I6 by a channel member 26. .55

This channel member 26 may extend the whole height of the window but preferably it extends down only a short distance from the top of the window and is supplemented at the bottom by short sections of similar contour.

The lintel or head consists of a main box member 28 and a supplementary bottom plate 36. The head is also here shown as provided with a weather strip member 32. It is to be noted that the jambs simply extend between the sill and head, that is, the sill and head extend across the ends of the jamb.

Extending al1 the way across the window in the box-like head is a shaft 34 carrying at each end a sprocket wheel 36 and having adjacent one end a gear wheel 38 which cooperates with a worm 40 mounted on a shaft 42, which is suspended below the head by a bracket 43 and extends to the inner face of the jamb, and there carries an operating wheel 44. Mounted on each sprocket wheel 36 is a chain 46 which has fastened at one end a spring 48 positioned between members 24 and 26. This spring may, as desired, be made only strong enough to hold the chain 46 on its sprocket wheel 36, or heavy springs may be used sufficient almost to counterbalance the weight of one of the sashes. The other end of each chain 36 is attached to a sheaf 50 in which is mounted the pulley wheel 52 over which runs the sash chain 54.

The inner or lower sash is here indicated as having side plates 56 which extend into the jamb between the members 20 and 24. One end of each chain 54 is attached to one side of the lower sash near the bottom of plate 56.

The bottom rail construction here illustrated comprises a plate 58 bent as indicated at 6|] to form a glass rabbet and having attached to the inside a plate 62. Connected to the plate 62 is a cover plate 64 which is of such height that it just rests on stool I2. Sash lifts of any desired sort may be attached to plate 64. In the illustrative example here shown simple handles 65 are indicated, but ordinarily I prefer to use lever lifts such as shown in my Patent No. 1,763,577. Also if desired catches may be employed that will engage with the sill and be released by upward pressure on the sash-lifts. Any desired form of meeting rail construction may be employed such for example as that shown in Patent No. 1,857,093 or Reissue Patent No. 18,026. The lower sash is here shown provided with weather strip members 66 and 68 which operate as described in Patent No. 1,673,393.

The upper sash, instead of having flat side plates, has side plates 'I0 bent over as indicated at 'l2 to pass by the sheaf 50. Attached to member 'I2 is a weather strip member 'I4 which presses against portion I8 of member I6. Attached to member 'I2 near the lower edge of the sash is an angle bar 'I6 to which is attached one end of the chain 54 as at 55. A felt block l8 is attached to plate 'I0 below the angle member 76, and rides with the upper sash, to stop vertical air currents as described in my said Patent No. 1,666,043. The upper edge of the upper sash is formed with a flat plate carrying an offset member 8| which extends up into the lintel.

In the construction here shown the lower sash will be appreciably heavier than the upper sash, this difference in weight amounting to from 6 to 8 pounds on windows of ordinary size. In selecting the glass for the sashes some care should be taken to see that the glass for the upper sash is not substantially heavier than the glass for the lower sash. By having the lower sash heavier than the upper sash, the windows will be in equlibrium when closed and it Will take slightly more effort to open them than to close them.

With the construction shown, if the lower sash is lifted by using the lift handle 65, it is obvious that this will slacken chain 54 and the upper sash will drop the same distance that the lower sash is raised. In this respect the window will operate as an ordinary counterbalanced window. On the other hand, if wheel 44 is so rotated as to lift pulley wheels 52, the upper sash not being able to move, the lower sash will rise two inches for each inch that the pulley wheels are lifted. In the same way, if the pulley wheels are lowered, the upper sash will open due to the force of gravity.

I have found that if the lower sash is made heavier than the upper sash, the difference in weight will be of advantage in closing the window when either the upper sash or lower sash alone is opened. Thus if the upper sash is open and the pulley wheels 52 are raised, the weight of the lower sash will be suflicient to hold it in place and the lift will all be transmitted to close the upper sash. In the same way, if the lower sash is open and the pulley wheels 52 are lowered, the extra weight of the lower sash will cause this sash to move while the upper sash remains in place. In each of these instances, the extra friction of the weather stripping which cooperates with the sashes when closed will tend to hold the closed sash from moving and cause the movement of the pulley wheels to be transmitted to the open sash.

The wheel 44 may be rotated in any desired manner; for example, it may be provided with a light chain or it can be provided with a friction face and have an operated cord held tensioned over it. In the drawings, I have shown a chain 82 which passes over the wheel 44 and is kept in place on this wheel by a cover plate 84.

It is understood that the foregoing example is given by way of illustration only and may be modified in many particulars without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a window frame, two vertically sliding sashes, exible suspension members interconnecting the sashes and passing around pulley wheels so that the sashes tend t0 mutually counter-balance each other, and means for exerting a tension on such flexible members comprising a shaft, sprocket wheels carried by such shaft, chain members passing over such sprocket wheels each having one end operatively connected with one of said iiexible members, and counterbalancing means operatively connected with the other ends of said chain members so that when said shaft is rotated an upward tension may be exerted on said flexible members.

2. In combination with a window frame having two vertically sliding sashes, flexible suspension members interconnecting the sashes on each side, pulley wheels around each such suspension member, mountings for such pulley wheels, chains connected with such mountings and each passing around a sprocket wheel, means connected to the free end of each of said chains tending to counterbalance the weight of the sashes, and means for driving said sprocket wheels simultaneously.

3. In combination with a window-frame having two vertically sliding sashes and flexible suspension members connecting the sashes and passing around pulley wheels so that the sashes tend mutually to counterbalance each other, means for exerting a tension on such flexible members tending to lift the sashes comprising chain members,

each having one end attached to one of said pulley Wheels, said chains passing over Wheels mounted on iixed axes in the Window-frame and having counterbalancing means operatively connected with the other end of each of said chains.

4. In combination With a Window-frame having two vertically sliding sashes, flexible suspension members interconnecting the sashes on each side, a pulley Wheel around which each such suspension member passes, mountings for such pulley Wheels, a chain connected with each such mounting and each passing over a wheel mounted at a fixed point in the window-frame and means connected to the free end of each of said chains tending to counterbalance the Weight of the sashes.

5. In combination with a Window-frame having two vertically sliding sashes, a pair of Wheels mounted for rotation about fixed axes near the top of the Window-frame, chains passing over said Wheels, a second Wheel mounted for rotation at one end of each such chain, flexible suspension members interconnecting the sashes on each side and passing around said second wheels and a tension spring connected With the free end of each of said chains tending to counterbalance the Weight of the sashes.

HARRY E. CAMPBELL. 

